Chapter 19

"Huey, we can never thank you enough for all you’ve done for us… truly, thank you."

Hearing my mother’s voice tremble as she spoke to Huey, I quickly turned around while still clinging to my father.

Huey scratched his head with an embarrassed look, then lowered his hand and spoke with a serious expression.

"No, I’m the reason Mimosa ran away from the village in the first place… I’m the one who should apologize. I’m truly sorry for putting her in danger."

The moment I saw Huey bow his head, my mind went completely blank.

"I’m sorry! No one did anything wrong!! It’s all my fault!! I’m so sorry for causing trouble for everyone!! I’m really, really sorry!!"

"Mimosa!?"
"Mimosa, what are you doing!?"

Before I knew it, I was crying and pressing my forehead into the dirt in a full dogeza.

"Mimosa, that’s enough—stand up now,"

My mother gently took my arm and helped me back to my feet. With a troubled smile, she brushed the mud off my forehead.

"I’ve never seen anyone apologize like that before, but I can tell you really regret what happened. Still, Mimosa, you didn’t do anything wrong. So no more apologizing, alright?"

Seeing my mother’s gentle smile brought tears to my eyes again. The moment I recognized her as my kind mother, a cold realization struck me—she was also a mother with a daughter my age.

"M-Mother!"
"Huh? What is it!?"

Startled by my sudden outburst, she froze as I grabbed both her shoulders tightly.

"Y-Yes, Huey and I may have spent several nights together, but I swear we didn’t do anything indecent! Huey is such a rare gentleman for his age—he never once tried to lay a hand on me! In fact, he treated me with nothing but kindness and warmth, almost like a mother would! He’s not just a gentleman—he’s practically a saint!!"

If a boy and girl around our age spent days alone together, it’d be natural for people to assume something happened between them. Especially a mother with a daughter—she’d be sensitive to that sort of thing.

I don’t care if people spread rumors about me. Honestly, I’m just a fool who rushed in without thinking and nearly had my chastity stolen by wild dogs.

But Huey is different.

He’s far too pure and upright to be just a typical teenage boy.

I remember him mentioning he was starting to show signs of… well, “maturity.” Something about feeling restless.

Even so, during all that time in the cave, I never once sensed anything inappropriate from him.

When I think back to myself at fourteen as a boy—well, let’s just say it’s not something I could ever admit out loud.

So the thought of anyone assuming Huey was thinking, “If a guy and girl are alone together, it’s obvious what they’ll do,” is unbearable to me.

"M-Mimosa…"

My mother was left speechless as I clung to her desperately.
P-please, Mother. You have to believe me…!

"Mimosa-chan, you’re speaking up for Huey, aren’t you? Thank you."

When I turned around, I saw Huey’s aunt smiling warmly, patting my shoulder. Reflexively, I looked for Huey—and found him a little ways off, crouched down and holding his head in his hands.

Don’t worry, Huey! I’ll prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that there’s nothing suspicious between us!

Seeing him trembling slightly, shoulders quivering, only strengthened my resolve.

Maybe I should just ask a doctor to certify my virginity? Hmm… but would anyone here even have that kind of medical equipment…?

"Mimosa-chan."

As I burned with righteous determination, Huey’s aunt’s voice pulled me back to reality.

"For now, go home and spend some time with your parents. Once everything’s cleared up, you can see Huey again, alright?"

"Huh?"

With those words, we decided to head back to the village.

I walked between my father and mother, holding both their hands.

Apparently, when I threw myself into that dogeza, I shoved my father away pretty hard, and now he looked a little dejected.

I’m really, really sorry, Father!

From behind us, I heard Huey’s aunt say, “Your father’s waiting at home too, okay?” and quickly turned around.

"Huey did nothing wrong! He saved me more times than I can count!"

"It’s alright, Mimosa-chan. No one’s angry at Huey."

Beside the still-blushing, trembling Huey, his aunt gave a cheerful laugh. The sight made me breathe a sigh of relief.

Apparently, his uncle was staying home out of consideration, knowing I must still be shaken from everything that happened. I truly couldn’t apologize enough for all the trouble I’d caused…

When we got home, we all sat down to eat the meal Mother had prepared.

It had only been a few days since I last ate her cooking, but it made me so happy I couldn’t stop the tears as I devoured it.

And the more I thought about how, in those final days before running away, I’d been forcing that same delicious food down my throat without tasting it, the more I regretted it—and cried even harder.

After I’d calmed down, I told them what had happened since I left the village, carefully skipping over the bad parts.
Things like being attacked by wild dogs, or getting licked all over by Huey, or… peeing myself in excitement, or that time we accidentally saw each other naked—yeah, I left out pretty much everything.

While we were having tea after dinner, Father suddenly said, “I’m going out for a bit,” and left the house.
He had never gone out after dinner before, so I watched him leave, puzzled. Then, as if she’d been waiting for that moment, Mother spoke up.

"Let’s talk openly about everything tonight."

"Huh?"

Mother smiled gently, but there was a faint seriousness in her tone.

"Because Mimosa has the memories of an adult man, you tend to think more maturely, yet at the same time you don’t understand beastfolk customs well. I misunderstood that for a while too."

The way she said it made me sit up straight and listen quietly.

"Mimosa, you’ve entered your mating season, haven’t you?"

"Wh-what!?"

Ignoring my shocked outburst, Mother met my eyes and continued calmly.

"When a child’s mating season begins, it’s natural that if they’re kept cooped up, something will eventually explode. So, it’s perfectly natural that you went to Huey’s house. Unless someone outright rejects the partner they’re drawn to, stopping them from even meeting could, in the worst case, end in bloodshed."

"Eeep…!"

Bloodshed just from not letting someone confess!? How dangerous is this species…?
Wait—did Mother just casually say my mating season was for Huey?

"It was obvious from looking at you that you were showing the signs. But since you’re still naïve about these things, I thought you were just acting that way without meaning to. That’s why what happened wasn’t your or Huey’s fault—it was ours, mine and your father’s, for not realizing it sooner. Do you understand?"

It made me feel better that she said neither Huey nor I were at fault, but hearing that my parents were at fault didn’t sit right either, so I couldn’t quite nod.

Noticing my conflicted expression, Mother gave a small chuckle.

"I suppose part of me still saw you as a child—no, I wanted you to stay a child a little longer."

My face grew hot, and I looked down.
So that’s what it was… she really was cherishing me.

"And then, when you suddenly said you ‘didn’t do anything indecent,’ I was honestly shocked."

"I-It’s true!"

"And by ‘indecent,’ you mean… what exactly?"

"Ehh!?"

W-what am I supposed to say to my mother!? Um…

"…U-uh, inappropriate relations between men and women?"

"And what does that mean?"

"Eh! Uh… um… p-pre-marital relations?"

"Oh my!"

Oh my!—she actually said it! Why am I being forced to say this to my own mother? This is torture!

"In your memories, people do that before becoming mates… before truly bonding?"

"Uh, yeah, pretty much."

"I see… that’s quite something."

Mother let out a sigh.
Wait—what kind of sigh was that!?

"At the start of one’s mating season, the body isn’t ready yet, so that sort of thing isn’t possible. Only after becoming a full-grown beastfolk, when your body is ready to have children, can you form a true mating bond. No—actually, it’s the other way around. Once your body can bear children, that’s when you become a full adult and can form that bond."

By “not possible,” did she mean physically impossible…?

"After all, the mating season for childbearing lasts an entire month…"

Oh right—that!

My face went beet red as I nodded frantically, and Mother murmured, "So you knew that part, huh…"

Eeeek! Stop, please stop!!

"Mimosa."

"Y-Yes!?"

"Listen—while actually making love happens only after becoming an adult, it’s completely normal to start feeling curious about those things now. There’s nothing to be ashamed of, alright?"

"Y-Yes ma’am!!"

My face felt so hot it could’ve burst into flames. I was dizzy from embarrassment.
Oh no—my cowardly little ears are standing straight up!?

Mother’s gaze sharpened slightly as she looked at me, overwhelmed as I was.

"Since we’re being honest, let me make this clear so you don’t torture yourself with confusion anymore: it’s perfectly natural for a girl just entering her mating season to feel curious about a boy’s body, to want to touch, to imagine what adults do together, and even to get flustered and… explore her own body because of it. There’s nothing shameful or dirty about that, okay?"

Please, I get it already—stoppppp!!